Kannur: A man from Taliparamba has been arrested for killing a peacock who had a slight leg injury. Currently, he is in jail following his court appearance and remand.
The accused Thomas saw the injured peacock on Sunday and thought that it would not survive. He then decided to kill it and struck the bird with a wooden stick, causing its death. The carcass was then killed and discarded in a nearby well. Taliparamba Range Officer P Ratheesh said Thomas's statement was not completely genuine.
"The Forest Department has raised concerns about the possibility of the peacock being caught in a trap, given the sparsely populated area where the incident occurred. Additionally, the well where the remains were disposed of is inaccessible, adding to the suspicion.
Investigation is underway. We will provide further details as they come our way," he said. Thomas is physically challenged and was with his daughter at his residence on Sunday, when the incident occurred, police said.
In a similar case last month, a case was registered against a YouTuber for allegedly uploading a video on "peacock curry recipe" on his channel, in Telangana's Rajanna Sircilla district. The YouTuber, apparently to garner more views for his channel resorted to the act, a forest official said based on preliminary investigation.
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, has been the National Bird of India since 1963 and enjoys protected status under Schedule I of The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The killing of a peacock is strictly prohibited and as per section 51(1-A) attracts imprisonment which may extend to seven years and also a fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees.
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